Pack an iPad and Hit the Road

John White leads the Asia-Pacific team of Heitman, a real-estate investment firm. The 43-year-old Australian, who now lives in Hong Kong, spoke to the Journal about forgetting cufflinks, the horror of U.S. airports, and which airline cooks a mean steak.

John White

John White

Where do you go the most?

Mostly within the Asia Pacific region: Australia, Singapore, China, Japan. In the U.S, I primarily go to Chicago since that’s where the company headquarters is.

How often are you up in the air?

In 2011, I was away from home for about 40% of the time. I relocated to Hong Kong to set up the office, and I’m hoping to cut down my trips by 50%.

What frequent flier plans do you use?

I’m a One World customer since 1994.

Preferred carrier?

I’ve been flying with Qantas since 1992, but Cathay is the most convenient for me. I’m generally not that particular about a carrier. I enjoy the different experience I get on different airlines. I don’t know why but when on planes, listening to a British or Australian pilot speaking makes me more comfortable about the flight I’m about to take.

What do you pack?

I try to pack as light as possible. I have my Briggs & Riley trolley bag and a shoulder bag. I bring three business shirts, a casual shirt, trainers, shorts and a few tops, and I usually go with one suitcase, no check-in baggage.

Preferred luggage?

I love my Briggs & Riley carry-on bag. The pop-up handle is on the outside instead of the inside, so it’s more convenient.

Is there such a thing as the best airline food?

I don’t eat much on the plane. I think the most important meal is breakfast, and Qantas has done a really good job with breakfast on their planes. A couple of times I’ve been served steak that was cooked perfectly. I’m impressed by that, and I don’t know how you can cook that on a plane.

I think no matter where you go in the U.S, they have the worst airports. On a transit from Los Angeles to Cleveland, I had to go to the United terminal, and they made me pay $50 to use the business lounge when I was holding a business-class ticket. This was after a 15-hour flight, and I asked where the shower was. It turns out they didn’t have one. Also at LAX, you can queue for hours on any day just to get past immigration.

How do you beat jet lag?

I don’t eat much on the flight and no alcohol. I’ll have breakfast in the time zone of my arrival place. Once I arrive, I’ll go on a jog outdoors and put myself to bed at a reasonable bedtime of that time zone.

Do you have time to travel for leisure?

I try to take holidays when I’m entitled to take time off. I usually take one large and one small holiday every year. [My wife] wants to have trips with activities, while I want to just lie down at a beach and read a book.

Travel tip 101?

Pack light, and if you forget anything, just buy it at your destination. I find people pack too much. Just get an iPad and a smartphone.

Best airport?

Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport. There’s a Gordon Ramsay restaurant there. It’s the kind of place where you can spend half a day.

Best hotel?

The Ritz-Carlton in Japan is the one I’ll always go back to. It’s located in the midtown area, has a really good spa, restaurant and a 25-meter pool. You can be in the best hotels, but it’s the people there that made all the difference. At the Ritz, I’ve had incidents where they were very efficient in resolving my problems, like the time when I forgot to pack my cufflinks, and they immediately got a new pair for me, or the time I had an ear infection from swimming, and they brought in a really good doctor.

What’s left on the bucket list?

I definitely want to go to Myanmar. I’ve found the country to be really fascinating in the past, and I reckon I should get there before it changes. Generally when that happens, the change is probably good economically but isn’t changing for the best, culturally.